Enhanced dielectric and piezoelectric properties of aurivillius-type potassium bismuth titanate ceramics by cerium modification

The microstructure, and dielectric and piezoelectric properties of the CeO2-modified potassium bismuth titanate K0.5Bi4.5Ti4O15 (KBT) piezoelectric ceramics were investigated. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that the cerium-modified KBT ceramics have a pure four-layer Aurivillius-type structure. The piezoelectric properties of KBT ceramics were significantly enhanced and the dielectric loss decreased by cerium doping. The Curie temperature T-c and piezoelectric coefficient d(33) for the KBT ceramics with 0.50 wt% cerium modification were found to be 550 degrees C and 28 pC/N, respectively. The Curie temperature was found to decrease gradually from 555 degrees to 541 degrees C with cerium modification up to 1.00 wt%. Dielectric and annealing spectroscopy showed that the materials possess stable piezoelectric properties.